Mohamed AchhibatNational Kitesurf Champion · IKO InstructorWithin about a hundred kilometres, the coast around Essaouira packs in almost everything a surfer could want: a gentle bay to learn in, powerful beach breaks, a rocky point break, and one of the longest waves in Morocco. Mohamed Achhibat has surfed here since childhood and knows every spot and every tide. Here's how they break down.
Essaouira beach: the place to learn
This is the gateway, and by far the best place for a first lesson. The bay is sheltered, the bottom is sand, and the whitewater rolls in consistently across an area where you can stand for a long way out.
It's a few minutes' walk from the medina. This is where most of our surf lessons and all our kids lessons take place, from age 5. The spot works best on a mid-rising tide; in summer the wind often picks up in early afternoon, so morning sessions are cleaner.
Level: beginner to intermediate.
Sidi Kaouki: more wave, fewer people
Twenty kilometres south, Sidi Kaouki is a noticeably more serious beach break: lefts and rights that often hold between 1 and 2 metres, on a huge beach where you rarely share the water with more than a handful of people.
The village has somewhere to warm up afterwards, and it's a spot we regularly choose when Essaouira bay is too small or too windy. We run day surf trips there from €55 per person, transport included.
Right next door, the Ouassane dunes let you follow the session with sandboarding — handy on days when the sea isn't delivering.
Level: intermediate, or guided beginner depending on conditions.
Cap Sim: the connoisseurs' left
Between Essaouira and Sidi Kaouki, Cap Sim is a rocky point break that wakes up when the swell comes in from the north-west. The left can then run a long way, over a stony bottom that rewards knowing where to put your feet.
Access is via a dirt track and there are no facilities. We recommend it from a solid intermediate level, ideally with someone who knows the entry and exit.
Level: confident intermediate and above.
Imsouane: the longest right in Morocco
An hour and a half south, Imsouane is a former fishing village that became a pilgrimage site for surfers. On the Cathedral wave, rides regularly run past 300 metres — a length that completely changes how surfing feels: you have time to think, adjust, and try again.
It's also, paradoxically, an accessible wave: long and relatively gentle, which makes it a memorable experience even for a surfer still early in their progression, provided they're guided.
We run day surf trips at €90 per person (€80 each for 3 or more), including transport and the day on site.
Level: all levels when guided, from motivated beginner to advanced.
Moulay Bouzerktoun: when the swell comes from the north
Twenty-five kilometres north of Essaouira, Moulay Bouzerktoun is best known as a wind spot — the kitesurfers' playground and the starting point of our downwind runs. But it also picks up northerly swell and can produce good waves.
It's an exposed spot with current and rocks. Experienced surfers only.
Level: advanced.
Spot summary
| Spot | Distance | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essaouira beach | Town centre | Beach break | Beginner → intermediate |
| Sidi Kaouki | ~20 km south | Beach break | Intermediate |
| Cap Sim | In between | Rocky point break | Confident intermediate |
| Imsouane | 90 min south | Point break (long right) | All levels, guided |
| Moulay Bouzerktoun | 25 km north | Reef / exposed | Advanced |
When is the best time to surf in Essaouira?
Surfing works year-round on this coast. The best window is October to March: the Atlantic swell is more consistent and bigger, and the wind is lighter than in summer.
From April to September the waves are smaller in the bay — which is exactly what makes it the right season to start — and the wind picks up in the afternoon. That's also kitesurf season, which takes over when the surf goes quiet.
Which spot for your level
- Starting out: Essaouira beach, without question. Sandy bottom, consistent whitewater, instructor in the water.
- Progressing: Sidi Kaouki, to move from whitewater to green waves.
- Comfortable: Cap Sim on a north-west swell, Moulay Bouzerktoun on a northerly.
- After a session to remember: Imsouane, whatever your level, as long as you're guided.
Booking a session
Tell us your level and your dates: we pick the spot on the morning itself based on swell, wind and tide. The easiest way is WhatsApp on +212 762-466351.